Monday, August 15, 2016

Today is National Lemon Meringue Pie day. In honor and celebration, here are some pro-tips on proper pie etiquette. Let's start with a review of a proper table setting. Your dessert utensils are always placed above your main dish setting throughout the entire meal--I like to think of it as a constant reminder of the good things to come. After the main dish, once dessert has been served, you will move your utensils to their appropriate placement on either side of the plate (fork on the left, spoon on the right). Typically, a coffee mug and saucer will be placed to the right of your table setting close to the table edge, and served during dessert. Turning your cup upside down on the saucer sends a silent signal to your server that you do not want coffee.

Now that we have laid the foundation for dessert time, let's get down to business. Both your fork and spoon should be used if pie is served with ice cream--Opinion: Pie should always be served with ice cream. IF it is not, simply use your fork (and go get ice cream after). When using both a fork and spoon, place the tines of your fork down into the pie, with your left hand. Using your right hand, spoon your pie and ice cream directly into your pie hole.

Once that perfect feeling of equal parts contentment and drowsiness hits, place your utensils in finished position. In Continental dining, tines are placed down at four and twenty (imagine your plate as a clock face). If you ate your meal using the American style of dining, tines may face up at four and twenty.

Now that you know the proper way to eat pie, save it for another day and stuff your face with a slice of lemon meringue! Happy August!